Lepakshi temple also known as Veerabhadra Swamy temple, located about 10 Kms from Hindupur, is an unexplored temple with amazing artistic architecture. The temple dates back to 1538 and was built by the brothers, Virupanna and Veeranna, who were initially in the service of the Vijayangar kings. However, Puranic mythology has it that the Veerabhadra temple was built by the sage Agastya. It contains idols of Ganesha, Nandi, Veerabhadra, Shiva, Bhadrakali, Vishnu and Lakshmi. Some of the local folks say that this was where the bird Jatayu fell, wounded after a futile battle against Ravana who was carrying away Sita. When Sri Rama reached the spot, he saw the bird and said compassionately, “Le Pakshi” — ‘rise, bird’ in Telugu.
The temple is divided into three parts - the 'Mukha Mandapa', (also called 'Nitya Mandapa' or 'Ranga Mandapa'), the 'Artha Mandapa' and 'Garbha Griha', and the 'Kalyana Mandapa', with 38 carved monolithic pillars in grey sandstone is unfinished. These three form a triangle with a common Mandapam. Entering into the temple you can see the huge sculpture of Nandhi. This lovely sculpture is monolithic– made out of single rock granite and is believed to be the second largest monolithic Nandi in India. The Nandi faces the Shiva-Linga that is surrounded by the huge Naga within the main temple.
There are around 70 pillars in the temple which had different stories carved on them. There is also an unusual hanging pillar that hangs inches from the ground. The ceiling of the temple is painted. The 24X14 ft fresco (painting done rapidly in water color) of Veerabhadra on the ceiling before the main sanctum sanctorum is the largest in India of any single figure. The rest of the frescoes are also beautiful and show an impressive attention to detail with colors strikingly contrasted — black lime work against an orange-red background with some green, white, black, and shades of ochre-gold and brown mostly applied to a stucco surface specially treated with lime.
The Shiva-Parvathi kalyanam — an endearingly popular subject with traditional Indian artists, finds expression here. However, these frescoes are peeling off in many places and are in need of better maintenance and expert restoration. The Natya Mandapam is splendid with its superbly sculpted pillars.The Kalyana Mandapam is another hall known for its artistic beauty.
